I am a new cat owner, which I find strange because I have always been a dog person and by some strange happenstance I wound up with a permanent fluffy resident in my apartment that did not bark. That being said, Chupie (short for Chupacabra) has not just found his way into my home but also the hearts of me and my parter. He is very friendly and affectionate, and will not leave me alone. He follows me room from room, sleeps with me, head buts me and flops for me. He even comes when he's called! I seriously never met such an awesome affectionate cat.

Anyway, a bit about my situation. Chupie was adopted from a friend, who was running from an abusive relationship and asked me to rescue her cat because her ex was hurting him. So I took him in, and after a while she decided it would be better if he stayed with me. Unfortunately I haven't heard from her since, but I have a feeling she's not dead so that's good.

My boyfriend and I don't have a lot of money. He is on disability, and I should have been a long time ago but am instead draining my school funds to stay off the streets. This raises a lot of issues because we don't have money for vet bills and Chupie needs his shots. Which brings me to the first point that I wanted to ask about. Is there a DIY cat/pet toy thread anywhere, and if not where would I start one?

The second question I wanted to ask is where would be best for me to ask about behavioural issues and training a cat out of them, for example attacking my legs and feet whenever he wants attention (I'm talking run and jump kamikaze ninja dive bomb attacks while I'm cooking or (the worst) pouring tea)

And, third and lastly, I have a serious debate question about neutering, because not only does Chupie still have his junk fully intact, but I also don't have the funds to change that and wouldn't mind knowing exactly how high on my priority list I should put this.

So yeah, that's me, my cat, and my situation in a nut shell... enough of an introduction for ya?

Welcome!
1. DIY cat toys - I'm not sure if there is a specific thread for DIY cat toys, but basically anything can become a cat toy, a crumpled up ball of tinfoil or paper, a long string or piece of frayed rope attached to a stick or not, an empty Kleenex box with holes punched in the sides. The plastic rings off pop bottles. Anything small and light enough to be batted around with holes to stick paws through.

2. If you can keep a crumpled up ball of paper and spot Chupie coming before he attacks, try throwing it before he attacks and send him chasing after that.

3. How old is Chupie? Is he a completely indoor cat? If he spends all his time indoors, vaccines aren't as urgent (except for rabies which is required by law). The main reason for neutering male cats (aside from population control) is the territory marking that starts as they mature, somewhere between 6 months and a year old. Spraying urine on things to mark it as theirs is a behavior that starts to occur as males mature and want to protect their territory from other males. Once started it can be very hard to stop. That is why people try to neuter male cats before this behavior starts.

Can you tell us how old your kitty is? it sounds like typical kitten behaviour with the feet biting! you can try to redirect the kitty with a toy, or even a quick ouch! sometimes teaches them that what they are doing isnt acceptable...As for toys cats are pretty easy to make happy. You could pick up one of those mice on the end of a stick at the dollar stores or even make one yourself. I used to use tin foil balls and my 2 cats would go insane batting them around and playing. You could use these toys to try and tucker your kitty out, this may help with the attacks!

You can contact your local SPCA and see if they have a low cost spay or neuter clinic. Alot of them have these services based on income. There is a low cost one in Newmarket you can find info here:

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UNAWAKENED"
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown

Aww! I'm so touched there's so many people that answered! I tried another forum once and I got maybe one reply per post! This is quite refreshing!

Chupie's about 3 or 4. He's as far as I know past the age where spraying starts, and I haven't had even the hint of a problem. The only thing that's happened since he came to live with us is that he peed at my moms house on her rug, and that was also the first time he has stayed at my moms AND the first time he'd been around the smell of catnip (moms idea, personally he's energetic enough without it).

Here's a picture (I hope it works)

I think he's just awesome!

Alright, I'm going to post these topics in the appropriate places. Thank you all again for the plethora of in depth answers!